JASMINE’S JUICE featuring EMANUEL JAL,ALEXANDER AMOSU,KOJO,REG YATES, and PAUL H!.

JASMINE WITH EMANUEL JAL AT HIS VIDEO SHOOT IN LONDON.

Only a couple of days to go until Jesus birthday and I’ve been attempting to cram as much onto my already full to overflowing to-do-list as possible-i’m in the States right now skiing and frolicking in the snowy mountains with my Christmas family-the Carey-Cannons!.But before i left the UK……..

All my employers had Christmas parties and dinners that I had to attend so I plopped out the same frock (there’s still a recession darlings!), to go to the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 buildings. I was exceptionally behaved, worked the room, smiled a lot, listened to all, introduced people, didn’t get drunk, no embarrassing dancing ,didn’t upstage my superiors and so am hopeful about my promotional prospects in 2011 LOL.

Hip hops answer to Rankin, Paul H gave a talk at the Apple store about being a paparazzi in the music world. In the past 2 decades he has photographed every urban act on both sides of the pond and is on every record label and artists speed dial for press and promo shots. A lot of his past work was shown as well as a healthy yet bewildering amount of info about camera equipment and picture/stills copyright laws and so on.

JASMINE WITH KEVIN J, MARTIN JAY, EDDIE KADI AND ITV’S MONIQUE RICHARDS…..AT ALEXANDER AMOSU’S CHRISTMAS PARTY.

Next R&B Ringtones entrepreneur turned luxury goods maker Alexander Amosu threw his Christmas party at Aura nightclub in Mayfair where he exhibited his most expensive suits in the world, his diamond encrusted phones and much more to a very diverse crowd of guests that included business men, wide boys, city slickers, brassy ladies, TrayC and Paige from X Factor , comedians Eddie Kadi and Kevin J, ChoiceFM breakfast DJ and soca king Martin Jay, Chucky Venice , MTV Africa head Alex Akossi and other movers and shakers. Champagne and canapés were served by staff wearing Amosu tee shirts and more than usual networking and business cards were exchanged.

JASMINE WITH ALEXANDER AMOSU AT HIS CHRISTMAS PARTY AT AURA.

MTV BASE comedian and CHOICEFM weekend DJ Kojo threw his Christmas comedy funhouse special at Sound Bar in Leicester square where the A TEAM of UK new skool comedians did their thing to a packed house. The ever funny Baba tunde, white comic that black folk love Kevin j, of course Kojo’s crowd adore him, and then finally Slim had the audience in stitches. Kojo had a musical interlude from singer Cherri V who was very capable and now just awaiting her big break. The night was entertaining from start to finish and I salute kojo for providing a continuous night of fun where young urban comedy fans can safely come and mingle and enjoy the scene in the current climate.

JASMINE WITH KEVIN J, BABA TUNDE, KOJO AND SLIM……AT KOJO’S CHRISTMAS COMEDY FUN HOUSE.

In order to tick off all on my to-do-list I had actress, presenter and Scary Spice Mel B’s sister Danielle Brown join me for chai tea lattes and Starbucks luxury fruit bread whilst having my hair trimmed at celeb hair salon 3V in Notting Hill ,where we caught up on life and laughed about our old skool beef back in the day when we used to hate each other. I used to be mean about her on my radio slot and she understandably wasn’t best pleased. Now we’ve grown up and are wiser we chortle over those days.

Next to the sports spaceship headquarters of the Adidas inner sanctum in Covent Garden where Paola and Akua-the celeb team guru’s had laid the showroom open to me. It was like a dream come true as I was told ‘’ we have laid out a spread of apparel and shoes in your sizes in the client room for you to pick and choose whatever you’d like’’. I was like Usain Bolt in supermarket sweep as I tried not to dribble over the box fresh smell of new 3 stripe sneakers and slick leisurewear. Adidas have dressed me for years and as most of the flyest stars on the planet rock the brand I’d assumed they handed it out freely. It was a few years ago when I realised this wasn’t true at all. An array of UK and American acts would pass through MTV and compliment me on my exclusive garms and when id tell them to reach out to Adidas I would be told that they’d been rejected as ‘’Adidas are very choosy about whom they actively involve to wear their brand’’. I was staggered. These were pretty big names. Clearly Adidas knew something I didn’t cos they’re no longer around. I should’ve known the brand were ahead of their time when noting their inner clothing labels state ‘’caution-sliding and spinning across floors in this clothing can cause burns’’- clearly the preferred brand for breakdancers lol. Meanwhile I’m currently on the snowy slopes rocking my ‘ Stella McCartney for Adidas ski suits and all in one flight suits with hoity toity fur clad rich madams asking where I found my ‘’delightful attire’’. Go ask somebody!.

Radio 1 DJ Reg Yates threw his weekly Sunday night party fondly called Trading Places where there are usually unannounced guests like CL Rock and Pete Smooth, Idris Elba and other fresh types gracing the scenario. It’s a struggle to energise yourself on a Sunday night but so worth it. Reg is smart-he’s well aware that only die-hard mates venture out for fabulosity on a Sunday school night.

Then it was time to kick frivolity to the kerb and get serious for a moment as my friend and PR expert Rozan Ahmed told me about Emmanuel Jal’s global initiative for peace. To give you some background, Emmanuel comes from Sudan originally, he’s a former child soldier and through quite unbelievable struggle has become as a world renowned recording artist, actor and activist; his latest release being the Warchild LP to accompany the successful documentary. Emmanuel is currently focused on the upcoming referendum in Sudan. As I’m sure you may have heard, the country’s public will soon be deciding as to whether or not Sudan secedes as a nation – as Africa’s largest country, which to many of us is beyond depressing.
The outcome, either way, is likely to result in a full-blown war, and so Jal’s core messages of peace and unity, disseminated through a number of upcoming campaigns and summits will be a focus from now, up until the referendum. Emmanual was in London to spread the message and shoot the video for his single ‘’we want peace’’ and told me “I believe I survived for a reason… to tell my story… to touch lives.”

Emmanuels story is so erratic that he was born on an unknown date in the early 1980s. Imagine that- not knowing your birthday but being responsible for lives being saved as he achieves his initiative. He has a unique style of hip-hop, with its message of peace and reconciliation, born out of his personal experiences.

Emmanuel’s live appearances have included Live 8 and Nelson Mandela’s 90th Birthday Concert. He’s performed with acts such as Faithless, Alicia Keys, Razorlight, Supergrass and Fat Boy Slim in Europe, and has toured the United States as part of the National Geographic All Roads Film Festival, and appeared at Alicia Keys’ Keep a Child Alive Black Ball 2010 in London.

The video was shot in Kentish town studios and feature many of the UK’s well known faces, so go check it out and support where you can. We might all be celebrating at copious parties with unlimited amounts of festivefun but there are fellow brothers and sisters that need minimal time and effort from us this season. Visit the website www.we-want-peace.com. Its crucial that we focus on prevention….if we knew the haitio disaster was going to happen we’d do everything in our power to stop it-right?. Happy holidays!

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